Essay: Key legislation, agreements and cases in World War II

Munich Pact
After the end of WWI, Adolf Hitler, Germany’s dictator, saw an opportunity to gain power. From this power, he became a threat to the worldwide peace when he demanded Sudetenland be turned over to Germany.
To prevent an outbreak of war over only a small territory, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain spoke with Hitler and eventually, Britain and France agreed to give Sudetenland to Germany. This agreement became known as the Munich Pact.
Chamberlain (left) and Hitler (right)
Nazism
After WWI, Hitler and the rest of Germany turned to Nazism, a type a fascism. They believed that they, the Aryan race, were superior to other races such as Jews. Together, Nazis rose to power and attempted to rule the world.
In the parliament, the Nazi Party was able to win the most seats compared to all the other German parties. This led to Hitler being named Prime Minister. He rid Germany of democracy and started placing more Nazis in power.
To attract more supporters, Hitler used propaganda (left).
Blitzkrieg
Meaning “lightning war”, blitzkrieg was used by Germans as a way to execute a quick victory by utilizing weapons such as planes, artillery, and tanks. This military tactic was designed to surprise enemies through speed and strong firepower, creating psychological shock and the enemies’ disorganization.
In 1939, Germany first tested this tactic in Poland. Later, they became successful when they annexed France, Belgium, and the Netherlands only a year later.
Lend Lease Act
This act allowed the United States to help foreign countries with any arms or other military needs without having to pay or go into battle.
The main goal was to help defend other countries that would also defend themselves. As the US continued to support and provide Britain with arms, the British stayed in the war until the US was eventually pulled into the war as well.
Neutrality Acts
To keep the US out of the war, these neutrality acts were passed, stating that the US couldn’t provide anything war-related to disputing nations. These laws were passed in 1936-1937 by Congress, in which American citizens were in favor of.
Ever since WWI, Americans were leaning towards keeping themselves out of any disputes or conflicts between other nations. President Roosevelt himself was encouraging other nations to maintain peace and to negotiate out their desires for the future.
Allies
The Allies won the support of many, however, Hitler felt threatened by the US if they were to ever become involved in the war.
Americans were put in a tight position when they didn’t want to become involved in the war yet wanted to help the British and French. The neutrality acts prevented the US from assisting the allies. Not much longer, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (pictured left) where over 3,500 Americans were injured or dead. Roosevelt finally decided it was time for the US to join the Allies and fight the war.
Axis Powers
Consisting of Italy and Germany, the Axis Powers worked together to conquer Vichy France. Hitler’s goal was to conquer Britain, one of the Allied powers, but he knew his army was no match for the British.
He attempted to take the war to the air where he set up bases for planes. His plan ultimately backfired when the British utilized fighter pilots from the Royal Air Force. After several more failed attacks by Germany, the Allies began to see hope in stopping Hitler.
Executive Order 9066
Japanese Americans were strongly discriminated for several reasons. For one, they looked nothing like Americans and they isolated themselves from the American culture. Most of them resided on the Pacific Coast, which was where most were afraid of an invasion by the Japanese. Americans became skeptical about whether these Japanese Americans were loyal to their race or country.
Roosevelt then passed Executive Order 9066, which stated that internment camps (left) were allowed in order to keep possible threats in their place. This led to evacuations of many Japanese people on the West Coast.
Korematsu v. The United States
Even though there were some Japanese Americans who were born in American and had US citizenship, they were still discriminated against. A Japanese American named Fred Korematsu didn’t want to split with his non-Japanese girlfriend simply because he was Japanese, so he was eventually arrested and forcibly put in an internment camp.
Korematsu’s civil rights were violated, however, the Supreme Court decided that these actions were justified because America was in a time of conflicts and small problems such as Korematsu’s could be put off.
War Refugee Board
Jewish Americans were aware of what was happening to their relatives in Europe, so they urged the US to take action and assist them. The US government knew the inhumane actions Hitler was executing, but no action was taken until 1944.
The War Refugee Board allowed Jews to seek refuge at safe centers or at US owned camps in Europe.
Zoot Suit Riots
In Los Angeles, California, there were two sides of a conflict: Mexican Americans and white Americans. Many Mexican American teenagers wore “zoot suits” which included a broad felt hat, a long suit coat, and loose pants. White Americans saw this style as gang-like, leading them to attack anyone wearing the fashion. The root causes of this week long conflict had to do mainly with racial prejudice.
Double V Campaign
After the end of WWI, African Americans realized that no matter what efforts they put into fighting for the US, they won’t be able to get equal rights. Blacks in power urged for a fight in which Double V meant double victory. They called for victories at home and overseas. This stirred up many thoughts in Americans and African Americans.
December 7, 1941
On this day, the Japanese sent aircraft carriers to Hawaii to attack Pearl Harbor. This historic day resulted in 18 sunken ships, 300 demolished military aircraft, and over 3,500 dead or wounded Americans. This event pushed President Roosevelt to declare war on Japan, which led to the Axis Powers, Germany and Italy, to declare war on the US. This was the start of the Americans joining the war.
Tuskegee Airmen
This group of African American pilots was the first black military group to be involved with the US Army Air Corps. Many whites believed that they were superior to black men, even in combat, so they had excluded African Americans up until the Tuskegee Airmen proved them wrong. Eventually, the army created a separate unit for these black aviators.
Navajo Code Talkers
During WWII, Native Americans who spoke Navajo and English were recruited into the US Marine Corps to assist in communications. They were a classified group of which the US used to help overcome the war.
These code talkers were present only in Okinawa and Iwo Jima. They are an extremely rare group, where only 10 Navajo code talkers died at the end of WWII compared to 500,000 Americans.
D-Day
On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded France, which was controlled by Germany at the time. This mission was named Operation Overlord. Led by General Eisenhower, tens of thousands of American, British, and Canadian troops overcame the English Channel and arrived in Normandy.
There were many casualties along the beaches, but eventually, the Allies were able to gain the territory and liberate Paris.
Holocaust
Nazis directed their hatred towards Jews and brutally slaughtered about 6 million innocent Jews. These slave laborers were kept in concentration camps were they were starved, tortured, burned alive, and many more. Doctors even experimented different ways to kill on these prisoners. The word holocaust means “sacrifice by fire” and is a not even close enough word to describe what happened to these minority groups.
Battle of Midway
At the Battle of Midway, the allies stopped the Japanese from expanding. Americans were able to intercept the plans for a Japanese attack on the Midway islands, so they were able to get ahead of the attack. The battle was won in favor of the US where the Japanese suffered a devastating loss. After this failed expansion, the Japanese were forced to focus on defending their territories.
Battle of Okinawa
After American troops defeated the Japanese in the Battle of Iwo Jima, they had one last destination. In the last battle of WWII, the Americans and Japanese fought nonstop for 2 months until the US eventually won. This victory at Okinawa allowed the allies to be able to invade Japan and finally end the war.
Manhattan Project
Instead of invading Japan, the US had other plans. German American Albert Einstein warned Roosevelt of the existence of atomic bombs and how they might already be experimented on in Germany. In the Manhattan Project, scientists worked together to form an atomic weapon that had the ability to wipe out whole cities. President Truman was faced with a conflict: invade Japan or bomb them. It made much more sense to bomb the Japanese than to risk US lives in another battle. After Japan continuously refused to surrender the war, the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese eventually surrendered.
Casablanca Conference
In January of 1943, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met in order to plan the end of the war. It was concluded that the Allies resolve conflicts with Germany to maintain postwar peace and have a policy of unconditional surrender. Their main goal was to prevent whatever happened after WWI that caused WWII.
Tehran Conference
In late November and early December of 1943, the 3 Allied leaders held a meeting for the first time after the war ended. Together, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt decided the fate of Europe. One of the agreements that they decided on was to assist the Soviet Union by opening another front where they were still in conflict with the Nazis.
Yalta Conference
In February of 1945, the 3 Allied leaders, Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt, met for a second time to discuss what was going to happen next to Europe after the war. The central topic was about the destruction of WWII and reestablishing the nations that were annexed by Germany.
Potsdam Conference
In this third meeting between the three Allied leaders, they discussed issues regarding Germany’s punishment/reparations. They decided that Germany would be split up into four parts and that they be demilitarized. Some speculation started stirring up, however, and eventually led to Stalin thinking that the US and Britain were going to turn on him. They were unable to resolve on agreements and thus slowly led themselves to the Cold War.
World Bank
After WWII ended, Americans recognized that in order to maintain peace, they needed to work with other nations. Roosevelt took action and founded the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) along with 43 other representatives. This organization was designed to allow nations to help one another in repairing themselves from the war and to strengthen economic as well as diplomatic ties.
United Nations (UN)
In 1944, another conference took place where the US, Britain, China, and Soviet Union met to establish the United Nations. This new organization was to replace the League of Nations and fuel an international need for peace between nations. The Senate eventually approved of the US becoming a part of the UN in July of 1945.
Four Freedoms
Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms were utilized in the UN Charter where in a perfect world, all citizens would have “freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear” (History Alive!). These four freedoms were a huge part of the allies’ goals after the war.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In December 10th of 1948, the United Nations ratified the international Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a result of the end of WWII. In this declaration, it is stated that all citizens have their human rights and freedoms. After the death of President Roosevelt, his widowed wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, chaired the committee that made the declaration.
Nuremberg War Crimes Trials
In these 1945 and 1946 trials, 22 defendants were prosecuted for violating international laws of maintaining peace. These war criminals consisted of Nazi leaders, the SS, secret police, and military leaders. The trials took place in Nuremberg, Germany, where 12 were hung, 7 prisoned, and 3 freed.
GI Bill of Rights
In 1944, Congress passed the GI Bill of Rights in order to assist GIs with funds in adapting from soldier life back into civilian life. This way, veterans could go back to their old lives and pursue their education or start over in a new home. After WWII ended, millions of men and women went back to their normal lives and utilized the GI Bill to follow their dreams. Many went to college and soon, the middle class quickly grew in size.
Geneva Conventions
In these international meetings, several laws were passed to protect citizens in case of conflict in the future. Various weapons that were used in WWII became banned in modern warfare. In addition, prisoners of war, the sick, or anything or anyone else detained is to be protected under the international humanitarian law.
International Criminal Court (ICC)
Even after the horrors of WWII, such conflicts like so still occur. The need for the International Criminal Court recognizes crimes against humanity and stops it before it spirals out of control. This organization is located in the Hague in the Netherlands, where crimes and acts of genocide go to come to an end.